Boss vs. Kent vs. HEVI bismuth loads

J

Joe Hunter

Well-known member
Boss vs. Kent vs. HEVI Bismuth loads
For those needing or wanting to shoot bismuth loads at waterfowl and/or upland birds, I recently dissected, and pattern tested six bismuth loads and one bismuth/steel duplex load from three shotshell manufactures to assess their components and patterning performance. Five of the six bismuth loads were patterned on the same morning, and one bismuth load and the bismuth/steel duplex load were patterned about a month prior.

To be clear here, I have no connections with any of these manufacturers nor did I get special loads to test. I purchased four of the loads (1 Boss, 2 Kent, and 1 HEVI) through normal channels (online or in-store purchases) and three of the loads (2 Boss and 1 HEVI) were purchased by other hunters and given to me for this test.

Below are my patterning results and some observations from the dissections and pattern work to give you an idea of the kind of performance you might get from these loads. In addition, I’ve included a few of my steel load pattern numbers to allow for additional comparisons to some commonly used steel waterfowl loads.

The patterning results are from a 12-gauge 3-inch Remington 870 Special Purpose with a 28-inch barrel and a factory flush Modified Rem-choke, .018-inch constriction from a bore gauge. The pattern counts and averages were derived from five separate pattern shots at 48-inch x 48-inch paper pattern sheets, and a 30-inch post-shot inscribed circle was used to define the pattern. The in-shell pellet count averages were obtained from dissecting five shells from the same box/lot as the shells to be patterned and counting the pellets. The average pellet diameters were determined from measuring 25 random pellets (five from each shell dissected) with a micrometer. The 40-yard patterning distance was established with a measuring tape from the muzzle to the pattern board.

PATTERNS / 40 YARDS / Modified Rem-Choke (.018” constriction)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #4 Bi (192 pellets) / pattern 126 (66%)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 3” 1 3/8 oz #5 Bi (267 pellets) / pattern 143 (54%)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 3” 1 ½ oz #3/#5 Bi duplex (226 pellets) / pattern 121 (54%)

Kent Upland Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #5 Bi (197 pellets) / pattern 119 (60%)
Kent Waterfowl Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #4 Bi (212 pellets) / pattern 126 (59%)

HEVI-Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #5 Bi (228 pellets) / pattern 85 (37%)
HEVI-Hammer Upland 3” 1 3/8 oz #3 Bi/#3 Steel duplex (181 pellets) / pattern 101 (56%)

Fed. Speed-Shok 3" 1 ¼ oz #3 steel (186 pellets) / pattern 128 (69%)
Rem. Sportsman 3" 1 ¼ oz #3 steel (193 pellets) / pattern 146 (76%)
Win. Xpert 3" 1 ¼ oz #3 steel (195 pellets) / pattern 131 (67%)

Fed. Speed-Shok 3" 1 ¼ oz #2 steel (154 pellets) / pattern 115 (75%)
Rem. Sportsman 3" 1 ¼ oz #2 steel (152 pellets) / pattern 110 (72%)
Win. Xpert 3" 1 ¼ oz #2 steel (146 pellets) / pattern 106 (73%)

Observations & Comments
All three Boss loads tested had consistent components (powder, pellet count, pellet size, and payload weight) and they were very close to the listed load in shot payload and pellet size. At the pattern board, the Boss 2 ¾-inch 1 ¼-ounce load with No. 4 Bismuth averaged 66% patterns which is at the top end of typical Modified choke performance (55% to 65%), and it registered the highest pattern percentage of all the Bismuth loads tested. The other two Boss 3-inch Bismuth loads (1 3/8-ounce No. 5 Bismuth load and 1 ½-ounce No. 3/No.5 Bismuth duplex load) fell just short of typical Modified choke performance by registering 54% patterns.

The two Kent loads tested (2 ¾-inch 1 ¼-ounce Upland No. 5 and Waterfowl No. 4 Bismuth loads) had consistent powder and pellet counts but both loads were light on their shot payload weights. The No. 5 load had a 518.1-grain payload, and the No. 4 load had a 514.0-grain payload, a 1 ¼-ounce payload should be close to 546.9 grains. And after comparing the pellet sizes from each load, both the No. 5 and No. 4 loads had very similar pellet sizes, .125-inch and .124-inch diameters, respectively. It appears that these two loads are pretty much the same loading, and the patterning results tend to agree. The No. 5 load averaged 119 pellet strikes (60%) and the No. 4 load averaged 126 pellet strikes (59%). Those patterns put both loads right at typical Modified choke pattern performance.

The HEVI Bismuth 2 ¾-inch 1 ¼-ounce No. 5 load had consistent powder and pellet counts but it was light on its shot payload weight. It averaged 485.4 grains when a 1 ¼-ounce load should be closer to 546.9 grains, and the average pellet size was one-half pellet size smaller than the expected No. 5 pellet diameter (.120-inch). At the pattern board, it could only manage a dismal 37% pattern which is much lower than any of the other loads tested.

The HEVI-Hammer Upland 3-inch 1 3/8-ounce No. 3 Bismuth/Steel duplex load had consistent powder and pellet counts but it, too, was light on payload. It only averaged 557.4 grains when a 1 3/8-ounce load should be close to 601.6 grains. Both the Bismuth and steel pellets averaged very close to the No. 3 size, .141-inch and .140-inch diameters, respectively. However, it could only muster a 56% pattern average, just reaching Modified choke performance.

Special Note on the HEVI Bismuth No. 5 load:
While shooting the five pattern shots with this load, the wads punched through the pattern paper and cardboard backing on all five shots. On further inspection of the three wads I could find behind the pattern board, there were loose pellets present in the base of these wads. Obviously, the wad had flipped upon exiting the muzzle and captured part of the payload within the shot cup and, as a result, it was performing like a slug load. It would not have been possible to confirm this if there hadn’t been an earthen berm behind the pattern board that stopped the wads so I could find some of them. Of course, having part of the payload captured in the wad could explain the woefully low pattern count average (85 pellet strikes) and pattern percentage of 37% for the load. As a side note, none of the other four Bismuth loads I patterned that day (20 pattern shots) had a wad punched through the pattern board!

Update:
I notified HEVI-Shot of my findings and they contacted me and are having the leftover shells picked up for their inspection and they are replacing the shells I purchased. I appreciate them contacting me and replacing the shells and I’ll let you know how the new shells perform when I get them.

I'm just the messenger so you can be the judge!

If you are wanting to see all the data from these loads, I'll post the numbers from the loads per manufacturer.
 
Thanks for the excellent analysis. I shot Kent #5 for years, happily out to 40+/- yards. The couple I dissected were consistent & as advertised. Tried HeviBismuth #4. Didn't kill well at all. Dissected a couple with results similar to yours. Quite short on payload & shot about 1/2 size small. I wonder if the wads were turning into slugs, as there were some very easy shots they just tickled the birds. Shot about 10, dissected a couple, & threw the rest away. Boss #4 have been really good. Dissected a couple & both were consistent & as advertised.
 
I very much appreciate the work. Before getting to the text, I noticed and was curious about the pellet count disparity shown for the Kent loads. They were nominally the same charge weight and nominally of different sizes, 4s for and 5s for the other. Yet counted MORE 4s than 5s in the loads. I would have expected it the other way around. The data on pellet size helps to account for the difference. I know sample sizes are somewhat limited, but it's strange that Kent's 4s measured smaller than their 5s, albeit just a bit.
 
That is great data Joe, all of us thank you and your shoulder! Say you’re headed to a WPA for the golden hour and you need one more rooster for your limit for the day, what shell is in your shotgun???
 
Elksniper said:
That is great data Joe, all of us thank you and your shoulder! Say you’re headed to a WPA for the golden hour and you need one more rooster for your limit for the day, what shell is in your shotgun???
Click to expand...
Boss 1oz load of 4s. (Unless it's the last weekend of the season. That's when I start taking things seriously & might break out my 1.25 oz Tungsten Matrix 5s.)
 
I shot the Boss #5’s last season and was very pleased. I also have some Apex TSS loads but I was so happy with the Boss I couldn’t bring myself to shoot the tungsten ones. This year I will shoot them in the late season though, I don’t want to take any chances with a late season rooster!
 
Joe, could you give any tips on how to set up for patterning in case anyone wanted to test their gun/load/choke combo? What do you use for paper/target? Lead sled type device or do you just hold it? Do you aim like a rifle or mount and shoot? What do you use for a backer (box, plywood, metal, etc)?
 
Elksniper said:
Joe, could you give any tips on how to set up for patterning in case anyone wanted to test their gun/load/choke combo? What do you use for paper/target? Lead sled type device or do you just hold it? Do you aim like a rifle or mount and shoot? What do you use for a backer (box, plywood, metal, etc)?
Click to expand...
Elksniper -- Sorry I'm late getting to you, but I been chasing turkeys the last few days! Here is some info I put together on patterning that may be helpful.

If you are patterning to assess your load and choke performance, not checking for your guns Point-of-Aim/Point-of-Impact (POA/POI), here is a short list of steps to follow.

First, you’ll want to make sure you use good methods so your data will be accurate and to allow you to make fair comparisons between loads, chokes, pellets, etc. Patterning the right way does take time and effort, another reason to do it right the first time, but it is the only way to find out what a load and/or choke is doing.

Steps for shotgun patterning:
1) Set up a pattern board (4' x 4') frame with a backing material like cardboard or particle board to attach the pattern sheets.
2) Get some large (40" x 40" minimum) pattern sheets of paper or cardboard. Many prefer to use 48” x 48” sheets of white paper. These large sheets will capture the majority of the pattern strikes and make identification of the densest 30-inch portion much easier. This is particularly true if you are going to be patterning at distances beyond 40 yards.
3) Measure off your shooting distance from muzzle to target. Yes, 40 yards is the industry standard for evaluating choke performance, and a good distance to pattern some loads, but you’ll want to pattern your loads/chokes at the distances you’ll be shooting your birds/targets. As an example, if you need a good 30-yard load/choke combo then pattern at that distance, and if you need a good 50-yard load/choke combo then you’ll want to shoot your patterns at 50 yards.
4) Now that you have a pattern board and some pattern sheets, attach a blank pattern sheet to the pattern board and fire one shot at the center of the sheet. This can be an offhand shot or shot from a bench, it doesn't really matter, since you are just trying to get the pattern reasonably centered on the paper. You can put an aim point in the center of the paper if you need it, but you don't have to, and it is only to give you an aim point. This aim point should not influence you when drawing the 30-inch pattern circle around the densest portion of the pattern, more on this later. As a side note, you may get some indications of POA/POI issues during this pattern testing, but that is not what we are concentrating on now. You may need to address it later though.
5) Remove the sheet from the pattern board and repeat the process. Remember, you must shoot a minimum of three patterns for an average and five or even 10 is better. Shotguns are not exacting instruments and variation between pattern numbers is the norm, so averaging is a must. And, shooting one pattern to get an idea of what it is going on with a load/choke can be misleading!
6) Now that you have shot your patterns, draw a post-shot inscribed 30-inch diameter circle around the densest portion of the pattern. Yes, do this after the shot not before. Why after the shot? Because, you are trying to evaluate the load/choke combo’s performance, not your ability to center a shot in a pre-drawn 30-inch circle!
7) Count the pellet strikes in the 30-inch circle and average your pattern numbers. You can then calculate a pattern percentage by dividing the average pattern count by the in-shell pellet count if you like. To get a true pattern percentage you will need to cut open and count the pellets in several unfired shells (I open/sacrifice 5 shells) so you will have the true average in-shell pellet count. Remember, pattern percentages tell you about load/choke “efficiency” and if your load/choke combo is performing to factory standards, not necessarily how “effective” the load/choke will be at killing birds or breaking targets.

Important points to consider:
1) How many pellets did your load/choke combo put in the 30-inch circle? Birds of different sizes/types require different pattern densities to reliably hit the vital areas.
2) What size/type of shot were you using? Birds of different types/sizes require different amounts of pellet energy to penetrate the vital areas.
3) What yardage do you normally shoot your birds? Birds shot at longer distances will usually require larger pellets to maintain enough pellet energy to penetrate the vital areas.
4) What yardage was your load/choke capable of maintaining killing pattern densities? Longer distances usually require tighter chokes to maintain the minimum pattern density for the birds you are after. However, larger pellet sizes (BB and larger), particularly in the hard shot types like steel, do generally tend to pattern better from chokes with less than full choke constrictions.
5) Common sense should also tell you to pick the load/choke combo that gives the most consistent patterns and the one that has fairly good pellet distributed. Remember however, patterns are random events so there will always be some variation between patterns, areas void of shot, and some clumping of shot.

Effective patterns include:
1) Sufficient Pattern Density -- Enough pellet strikes in the 30-inch pattern to reliably hit the vital areas (brain, spinal cord, heart or lungs) at the distance shot.
2) Adequate Pellet Energy -- Correct pellet size and mass to retain enough per-pellet energy to penetrate the vital areas at the distance shot.
3) Proper Choke -- Enough choke to maintain adequate pattern density for the bird size/type at the distance
shot.

PS: I purchase rolls of 48" x 48" white paper from an industrial supply store since I shoot a good number of patterns, but any large paper or even smaller sheets taped together will suffice. I also use a large piece of cardboard for backing (refrigerator, washer/dryer, etc. boxe.s) to staple the paper to. Before everyone started recycling cardboard, I could get enough of them from appliance stores to pattern on. Anyway, about any small frame (2x4s) that will hold up a piece of cardboard can be used as a pattern board. I've used pattern boards at gun clubs with my cardboard and paper and even a nail in a tree to hold the cardboard backing and stapled the paper to it to shoot patterns.

Measure off the distance (muzzle to pattern sheet) with a tape (what I use) or range finder and shoot 5 separate patterns with the load/choke combo you are testing.

I typically use a stool and tripod, so I center the patterns on the paper. If I'm shooting several patterns, that system ensures that I center the pattern on the paper. As I said earlier, this patterning is to evaluate the load/choke combo not my ability to center the pattern.

For drawing the 30" inscribed circle around the densest portion of the pattern, I use a plexiglass 30" circle but a 30" diameter piece of cardboard or a 15" piece of string with a pencil or pen on the end will work, too.

Good luck!
 
That’s perfect, just what I was looking for! I’ve got a roll of paper that is used for covering floors in construction that I plan to use for the patterning. I’m anxious to see how some of the loads I have pattern out. Thanks Joe.
 
Any update on the replacement Hevi Bismuth? And have you heard back anything else from Hevi?
I am curious to find out if it worked out or if it is an ongoing problem.
 
Kualabob -- I wrote a follow up post on the "replacement" shells that you may not have seen. And I have not heard anything from Hevi.

HEVI-Bismuth No. 5 load update

12 GA 2 ¾” HEVI-Bismuth No. 5 load (Replacement shells) After dissecting and patterning the HEVI-Bismuth shells I originally purchased from Hevi-Shot, I contacted them about my unusual results and findings. See my previous post about the HEVI-Bismuth load. Hevi-Shot wanted my left-over shells...
forum.ultimatepheasanthunting.com forum.ultimatepheasanthunting.com
 
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